


Discussion on a Rooftop

by chicaMoreliana



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Mentions of Murder, and this is basically just an excuse to write them??, gratuitous philosophical discussions, look dirk and vriska are two of my favorite characters, minor vrisrezi if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23019577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicaMoreliana/pseuds/chicaMoreliana
Summary: Dirk and Vriska stand on a rooftop. What follows is a discussion on justice, morality, and, perhaps most importantly, mercy.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Discussion on a Rooftop

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is also available in Spanish - look for "Discurso sobre la misericordia" in my works.  
> (Este fic es disponible en español - busca por 'Discurso sobre la misericordia' en mi perfil.)

Vriska and Dirk stand on the rooftop. They look at each other. Neither one wants to be the first to speak, but finally Dirk gives up and offers Vriska a hand. 

“You wanted to talk?”

Vriska pretends not to see Dirk’s hand, and she sits at the edge of the rooftop, legs dangling in the air. After a heavy silence, she opens her mouth. 

“Yeah.”

“I’m listening,” said Dirk, only a little bit uncomfortable. He still wasn’t sure why Vriska had wanted to talk to him, but he knew that, in her own complicated way, she was friends with his brother and . . . daughter? Holy shit, he was going to need some time to get used to that. Dirk resolved not to think about that right now and with some effort he turned his thoughts back to Vriska. He doubted that they would have won the game without her, and out of thanks he had agreed to this little trip to the roof. 

“Dirk,” said Vriska, interrupting his internal monologue. “Do you think that some people are irredeemable?

Without giving him a chance to respond, she answered her own question. 

“Terezi would probably tell me that no, people can always change and that there’s hope for everyone.” She smiled and continued, more quietly, “she’s a lot softer than she looks.”

For a minute, silence once again hung over the rooftop. With a shake of her head, Vriska turned and looked at Dirk. He repressed a shudder - how was it that Vriska could see directly into his eyes, as hidden by his shades as they were?

“But you and I, Dirk,” declared Vriska. “We’re realists. Maybe Terezi thinks that everyone gets a second chance, but she doesn’t know how horrible people can be. Not like you and I do.”

Unbidden, Dirk remembered the way Dave looked at him, eyes full of fear. He thought of Jake. God, Jake. He still couldn’t think of that whole shitshow without feeling a guilt so strong it hurt. Not to mention Hal, or Roxy, or Jane, or all the other people Dirk had hurt. Yeah, he understood how horrible a person could be, that was for fucking sure. 

"Well?" said Vriska brusquely. "What do you think?"

Dirk stayed quiet. He wanted to believe in mercy, more than anything in the world he wanted to believe in mercy, but . . . well. The ugly truth was that he didn't trust a system that gave second chances to people like him. Of course, Dirk wasn't so oblivious to know that this wasn't the answer that Vriska wanted, and with that in mind he chose his next words carefully. 

"Sometimes, people do bad things with good intentions," he said slowly. "It would be an awfully fucked up world if we condemned everyone who's ever made a mistake."

"A mistake?" Vriska let out a harsh laugh. "Dirk, you know I've killed thousands of trolls, right?"

Dirk blinked. Damn, this girl was on a whole other level. He glanced at her, trying to see the traces of her past actions in her posture, her clothes, her gaze. Sure, she looked a little unsettling, with her intensity and general air of chaos, but . . . mass murder? Shit, what kind of fucked up life had brought her to that particular course of action? Dirk decided to try a change of tactics, acutely aware of his rather limited arsenal in the emotional support department. 

"Look, Vriska. I feel like you've already decided that there's no redemption for you. Seriously, why did you want to talk to me? I agree with you, we do have a lot in common, and that's why I know what you're trying to do here. You're not looking for mercy, you're looking for condemnation, and I'm not going to give it to you. Listen to me: this is your second chance, right now, but you're going to waste it if you don't stop thinking that your past has ruined you forever!"

Silence rang out. Dirk realized he was breathing heavily, his body tense and ready to right. Internally, he cursed himself for losing control like that. Vriska was just looking for a little compassion, and he had to go and explode; fuck, this is why he shouldn't try to interact with people - it always ended in disaster.

Vriska cackled, loud and gleefully, in a change of temperament so quick that Dirk got whiplash. 

"Holy shit, Dirk! Try to get your head out of your ass every once in a while. 'You're going to waste it if you don't stop thinking that your past has ruined you forever' - have you really not noticed that we're not talking about me anymore? Damn, I've never seen someone so emotionally obtuse, and I've spent the last three years with Karkat and your brother."

"What."

"This is an intervention, idiot," said Vriska. "You didn't really think I wanted to talk about my emotions and sins and all that shit, did you? Live a life free of regrets, that's what I say. Look, we were talking, me and Dave and Terezi, and we're all worried about you. Well, Dave is worried about you. I could care less."

"Wow, thanks Vriska. You know how to make a guy feel special."

"You're welcome! I know you meant that ironically but you really should be thanking me - without me, you never would have gotten out of your fucking head. I knew you couldn't understand anything that wasn't wrapped in a thousand layers of irony and metaphor, so here we are. You and me and the roof."

Whatever anyone else might say, Dirk Strider wasn't a dumb man. In spite of all of the voices in his mind and the feeling in his but that he was dangerous and irredeemable and didn't deserve to live without punishment, he felt for the first time in . . . shit, maybe he'd never felt this way. He felt . . . free? Of course, one single talk with a girl with her own issues wasn't going to change a lifetime of fucked up thoughts, this wasn't a fantasy, but at least it was a start. 

"Are we done here?" asked Vriska.

Dirk nodded mutely, and together the two of them stood and left the roof.


End file.
